AFTER claiming the win on Tyneside that keeps Chelsea in the title hunt, Frank Lampard believes the St James’ Park atmosphere failed to live up to expectations.

With more than 52,000 supporters inside to witness Alan Shearer’s first game in management, Lampard insists that the noise levels inside the sell-out ground failed to have the desired effect.

And while Chelsea comfortably quelled the fanatical Geordie public with a solid display that secured a deserved three points, Shearer was left in no doubt about the task at hand.

Relegation is becoming more and more likely for Newcastle, who are now three points adrift of Premier League survival ahead of Saturday’s trip to 13th placed Stoke City.

Things would have obviously been different had three points arrived against Chelsea. Lampard, who headed in the Blues’ first, feels that was never likely, though, after the predicted intimidating atmosphere never materialised.

“I didn’t think it was as loud as I thought it would be before the game, but I think we quietened the crowd. It was a bit quieter than I expected, I don’t know why. That was the key,”

said Lampard.

“We did everything we could to try to keep the crowd out of the equation and I think we managed that. They did not build up a head of steam and that was always going to be the way to win this game. We didn’t want the crowd to become a factor.

“When you are a big player you have to use the crowd to your advantage. You use anything you can to get an advantage.

I think crowds can work for you, just as much as they can work against you, and the important thing here was to keep it quiet and then go ahead.”

Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink was in agreement about the supporters, although the Dutchman is confident that Shearer can turn around Newcastle’s fortunes in the remaining seven matches of the season.

“Alan is very intelligent, a great personality and with eight games to go he knew he couldn’t win all the games,”

said Hiddink. “It’s difficult to beat Chelsea when Chelsea are playing well. But you could see in the second half, when the team were 2-0 down, that normally a team in the relegation zone, against Chelsea, they would drop morale. But Newcastle fought back. He can manage it.”

Hiddink has led some of the best teams in Europe and he also turned South Korea and Russia into forces on the international stage.

And while offering a little advice to Shearer – saying that he ‘should never make promises to players’ because they will become upset – the former Real Madrid and PSV boss could yet end up with a Premier League title winner’s medal.

Saturday’s victory, courtesy of Lampard and Florent Malouda’s second half goals, has left Chelsea on the heels of Liverpool and Manchester United, who followed Chelsea’s lead with wins of their own.

Lampard said: “We had no option if we are to have any hope of staying in the title race and that’s why it was so important to get three points here.

“The Spurs defeat was a setback but good teams bounce back from setbacks and that’s what we have done. We don’t think the title race is over by a long margin and the other teams at the top won’t think that either.

“It is still there and still available to play for.

“All we can do is win our games and let the rest take care of itself.”